


Parenting is tough, but I love it anyway

by HaruK



Series: You're the best thing to happen to me. [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Kid Peter Parker, M/M, On Hiatus, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, Superfamily (Marvel), Teen Peter Parker, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, and he gets it, steve rogers precious, will add more tags as stories progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-01-13 17:39:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18473848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaruK/pseuds/HaruK
Summary: The sequel to 'Never wanted you, yet you're the best thing to happen to me.'A series of non-chronological, one-shots that revolve around the life of Tony Stark and his son, Peter Parker, taken place in the modern world (i.e. No superheroes). It is a sequel so I would recommend reading the previous story for context.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody! Thanks for hopping by!  
> This is a sequel to my previous work, so I hope to see some familiar readers again ^_^  
> I hope you like these sets of stories. I dont know how many chapters it will be. Unless specified, its a bunch of random one-shot stories that take place at random times across the lives of the father and son, so if you have any particular irondad story you'd like me to write, mention it in the comments and I might do it!  
> Thanks for reading, I hope you like it!

Tony gets angry and Peter cries.

~~~~~

The doorbell rang and Tony quickly made his way to it, a spring in his step. He opened the door, a giant grin on his face,

“Hey buddy!” he exclaimed, before a barrel of weight the size of a child crashed into him.

“Dad!” Peter yelled, wrapping his arms around his father, the same grin on his tiny face.

“Welcome home.” Tony said, hugging him back. God he missed him. Tony had been back home for two days since Afghanistan and all his time had been taken up testifying in court against Obadiah (who had ended up in prison), making press statements about his return and him finally shutting down the weapons manufacturing business of his company. He had met Peter the moment he was back, but because of how busy the next few days were, May and Ben offered to look after him a few days more while Tony got all his shit sorted out. 

Now, finally, most of the shit was sorted, and Peter could come back home. 

“Aww, how nice.” Tony looked up, smiling at May and Ben standing outside, Peter’s luggage in hand. “Good to see you’re doing well.” Ben continued.

“Thank you. Come on in.” Tony tried to move aside, but Peter still had a strong grip on his legs, “Buddy? I need you to let go for a second.”

“No.” Peter announced, gripping his jeans even tighter. 

May let out a chuckle as the two of them easily moved around Tony, “He’s going to be a bit clingy with you, he wouldn't stop talking about coming back home for two days.”

Tony looked down at the child by his legs and his heart warmed, “I missed you too buddy,” Tony said, patting Peter on the back, “Come here.” he bent down and picked up his son, perching him on his hip. Planting a quick kiss on the kids cheek, making him giggle, Tony walked up to the May who was standing by the couch, Ben having gone to Peter’s room to drop off his luggage.

“Can I get you two anything?” Tony asked.

May shook her head, “We’ll be leaving now anyway, we’re going to visit Ben’s parents. Just wanted to drop everything off.”

Tony nodded, “Thank you again for looking after Peter, hope he wasn't too much.”

“Of course not.” May cooed, tickling Peter under his chin, making the boy giggle, “He’s been nothing but perfect.”

Ben came back out, looking at his watch, “We better get going, don’t want to get stuck in traffic.”

“You sure you can't stay for awhile?”

“Maybe next time.” Ben said, coming closer to plant a kiss on the top of Peter’s head followed by May who did the same thing. 

“Bye Peter!” they called out once they were in their car. “Bye!” Peter yelled back, waving an arm frantically. 

They watched as the couple drove away, waiting for them to be out of sight before Tony walked back in the house, Peter still in his hold as he closed the door. 

“Did you have a good time?” he asked the child, setting him down. 

“Mmhmm!” Peter hummed, nodding with a big smile, “They’re really nice.” he hugged Tony by the legs again, “But i’m glad to be back!”

Wow he really was clingy. Tony needed to figure out how to deal with that.

“I’m glad you’re back too, Pete.”

Peter let go, his mood suddenly different, “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“But...didn't you have a hard time?”

Oh. Right. “No, i’m fine Pete.” Tony said, “It was a bit difficult but I’m back now.” He knew he wasn't though, but Tony couldn't tell Peter that, he was just a kid. Last thing Peter needed to know that his father was held captive, tortured and watched a friend die in front of him. 

...Maybe Pepper’s request for Tony to join therapy wasn't so bad.

Tony changed the subject quickly, “You hungry? I can make lunch.”

Peter nodded, “I want pizza.”

“I can’t make pizza, but we can order it.”

“Ok.”

~~~~~

Stuffed with Pizza, satisfied and sleepy, Tony’s phone dinged. He read the message and silently cursed. Steve Rogers was on the way over to talk to him about the details of Afghanistan and he completely forgot about it. 

“Pete.” he said, getting the attention of the young boy who was still stuffing his face with pizza, “I’m going to be a bit busy for awhile, I have a meeting.”

Peter frowned, “Is this like your last meeting?”

Last meeting was when everything went to hell and Tony got abducted. 

“No,” Tony said, ruffling Peter’s hair, “It’s a safe meeting, Mr.Rogers is coming here to talk to me.”

“Oh.” Peter said and after a beat, “Can I come too?”

Tony grimaced, “It’s adult business Peter, I don’t think you should be there.”

Peter frowned, clearly not happy about it. “But I just came back…” he mumbled. 

Wow. Tony was not used to this attitude. Peter had never really expressed his own wantings so sternly or had been overtly clingy in any way before. “I know, i promise to finish the meeting as fast as I can. How about while you wait, you figure out what you want to do and we can do it together?”

That seemed to cheer him up, “Anything?”

“So long as it’s reasonable.”

“Ok!” Peter said, excited.

Half an hour went by, and Steve Rogers had arrived. 

Tony hadn't taken the time to appreciate how handsome the man actually was. He was tall, and even though he was in a suit, Tony could see that the buttons were strained to try and contain his muscles in the fabric. His blonde hair was swept back neatly, a good choice of style for his chiseled face. It was a good face. Most importantly though, were his stark blue eyes that seemed to be boring into Tony’s skin, a powerful yet gentle feel behind it. 

“Come on in.” Tony invited, leaving space for the man to enter. Peter was sitting on the couch, watching TV, his attention taken away from whatever he was watching to flash a grin at Steve, waving hi, to which the man smiled and waved back as well. Tony led him to the dining room, a place that's far enough that Peter couldn't hear but Tony could still keep an eye on him. 

Tony handed Steve a glass of water, before they sat down on the dining table. 

“So, how are we doing this?” Tony asked, watching as Steve pulled out a bunch of files as well as a recorder. 

“I’m going to ask you a few questions,” Rogers said, not looking up from his files, “and ask you to identify some people. Are you ok with being recorded?”

Tony winked, “usually people ask me that in different circumstances.” He couldn't help it. Steve was handsome and beautiful people automatically make his flirtiness come out. 

Rogers didn't look impressed, he just gave Tony a flat glance, which made Tony flush in embarrassment. He’d never been flat out rejected like that before.

“Please try to keep it professional, Mr.Stark.”

“Are you going to punish me if i don't?” sometimes Tony hated his damn tongue.

Another deadpan glare, “Sorry, its like instinct.” Tony apologized, “I’ll tone it down.”

Guess Rogers was as straight as they came. What a disappointment. 

“Alright.” Rogers switched on the recorder, after organizing his files, “This is Agent Steve Rogers, here with Mr.Tony Stark. Starting off, can you confirm that you have given your consent to be recorded?”

“I have.”

“Alright. First question, could you give me some details about the day you ended up getting abducted?”

~~~~~

Peter looked over the couch and frowned, annoyed. He had only been home for a few hours and only half of it, he got to spend with his dad. Then Mr.Rogers came by and they were talking about what happened to his dad...something which everyone refused to tell him about. No matter how much he asked, no one would tell him anything. Aunt May, Uncle Ben, his dad, they always said everything was fine, everyone's ok and that he didn't need to worry or that he was too young to understand, but Peter wasn't that young! He was going to be six soon, and everyone told him how he was growing into a big boy!

But no. Everyone just refused to tell him, and that honestly made him more scared. Were they keeping things from him because his Dad was still in trouble? Was he badly hurt? He understood that people kidnapped him, but did they do anything else? 

...Were they safe?

A shiver went down Peter’s spine and his eyes started to water. He was scared. He was scared for his dad. Were the bad guys caught? If they weren't, would they come back for him?

He wanted to ask, he wanted to ask his dad so badly, but he turned around and saw that the two men were still talking, and he knew his dad would be disappointed in him if he interrupted. 

But now, due to all his thinking, Peter was jittery and hyper. He felt like running, like screaming, like doing anything besides sitting on a couch and watching TV. But he couldn't interrupt his dad. He got off the couch and walked away, thinking that maybe his dad would see him leave and ask what he was doing, but he didn't. They just kept talking. 

Peter frowned, now slightly annoyed at the situation. He just wanted his dad to talk and spend time with him, was that too much to ask?

He was a bit annoyed and felt petty, so he decided to go to the lab.

His father had made a rule that Peter was not supposed to be there without supervision, so he knew what he was doing was wrong...but it’s fine. He saw the news, his dad had stopped making weapons, so nothing dangerous should be there. Luckily for him, Jarvis had not been rebooted. Peter didn't know why, obviously, because his father didn't tell him why except that,  _ “He’s just taking a nap, he’ll be back soon.” _

So Peter walked in, and was met with rows and rows of boxes. Looks like dad was packing up a lot of stuff. The young boy walked around the messy room, reading the labels as he passed by: ‘Tools’, ‘wires’, ‘blueprints’, all sorts of stuff. 

There was one particular box that caught his eye though, mostly cause the label was a bit difficult for him to read. 

Dyna…

Dynam…

Dynamite? 

He didn't know what that was. It seemed familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint it exactly. So he decided to check it out. He reached for the box and pushed aside the cardboard flaps before looking inside…

It was a bunch of red colored tubes with wicks like candles. Now Peter knew where he’d seen this, it was always in the cartoons he used to watch. And everytime it showed up, something exploded. It was a bomb. 

Peter realized he shouldn't have come down here. 

His heart dropped, freezing. What if there were even more dangerous things down here? How did it explode? Was something going to happen?

His legs finally moved, and Peter sprinted for the door, but he was a lot closer to a work table than he thought he was, and stumbled into it, causing one of the boxes on it to topple over and fall, a resonating crash of sounds echoing across the room. 

~~~~~

Steve was glad that Tony remained professional. The man gave him some two, suggestive remarks but hasn't made any since. Good to know he didn't push people’s boundaries.

Their interview was going on quite well, Steve trying his best to focus on it, rather than marvel at his home, or what he could see of it. It was clear than the cushion his butt was seated on was probably higher than his salary. 

Wow that sounded depressing.

But he did catch glimpses of the expensive furniture, the kitchen, with its impressive collection of alcohol carefully locked away, The TV in the living room was massive, not the mention the space outside the house meant for cars, which was almost as large as a restaurant. 

He was sure there were even more impressive things to see at this place, and Steve was a little bit intimidated. He never grew up with much money, his family earning enough to just get by. Now he worked a full time job and got paid enough to be proud of it, but still, sitting in a space that just gave off expensive vibes, was quite daunting to him. He was scared he’d accidentally break something and would have to pay a million dollars to get it fixed. 

Damn rich people. 

But anyway, he digressed, Stark remained level headed and answered all of his questions firm and to the point. His heart ached for the man when he told his story of torture and being forced to do something he didn't want to do and watching a friend die in front of him.

...Steve was going to recommend him a therapist. 

But he was also filled with admiration and respect for Stark’s quick thinking and even quicker skills of engineering when he heard that he manufactured the smallest bomb that ever existed. Stuff like that could have caused serious problems if made officially, but thankfully, Tony had shut down the market, something that made Steve respect him even more. 

An hour passed by, and they were finally done. Steve sighed in relief, shutting off the recording. 

“Can I get you anything?” Tony offered, “Some water? Juice?”

“A water would be great, thank you.”

The man nodded, getting off his seat to make his way to the kitchen. Steve watched him walk away, a saunter in his step. Tony Stark was attractive, he wasn't blind. He was wearing jeans with a short sleeved T-shirt but he filled it out nicely, his hair was gelled back perfectly and his facial hair was as impressive as it was on screen.    
Steve never really liked him, the media portraying him to be this selfish, vulgar and asshole kind of guy, and despite Bucky’s warnings that he should not take everything the media says to face value, Steve became biased. He came in here today expecting to meet an asshole, but he didn't. Sure, Tony was snarky and annoying at times, making stupid jokes while he talked about genuine trauma, but that doesn't make him a bad person. Hearing about all the shit he went through, Steve didn’t blame him if he used humor as a coping mechanism.    
Besides, he was still quite nice despite the inappropriate comedy. He stopped pushing Steve buttons and behaved in a respectful manner. He even had a kid, which was shocking but honestly, with the number of women he had slept with, wasn't all that surprising. 

Speaking of which, Steve looked by the couch to see what Peter was doing. He was a nice child, cute and polite and didn't make any fuss while the two adults talked. He knew how infuriating kids could be at times, and he was glad he didn't have to entertain a child while they talked serious business. 

But maybe, the quiet existed because Peter wasn't there. 

Steve hadn't even noticed, too engrossed in talking, so he asked: “Hey, where’s your kid?”

Tony came back, handing over the glass of water before he glanced by the empty couch, a small frown on his face. 

“Maybe he went to the bathroom or something, he wouldn't just leave the TV on like that.” he said, gesturing to the device. 

Steve took a sip of the water, before almost choking when he heard a loud crash coming from below. 

“Shit.” Tony swore, eyes wide, “That came from my lab.”

His lab. Where he stored tools...and weapons...and since Tony mentioned he was getting rid of everything, weapons that were all stored together in heaps and boxes. 

Shit was indeed correct. 

They both moved quickly, Steve following Tony as he sprinted down, calling out his son’s name.

~~~~~

“Peter!” Tony all but yelled as he finally ran into the lab. 

His heart was racing, fear prickling his lungs, but it died down a bit when he saw Peter safe, away from the dangerous stuff, having knocked over a pile of tools that were kept on the table, nothing having hit him. 

Roger’s was by his side in a second, letting out a sigh of relief, glad that Peter wasn't hurt. 

The boy himself was staring up at them, his fists clenched to his chest, tense. His eyes were wide, clearly not expecting the box to fall or have the two of them catch him. 

Catch him in the lab…where he was told time and time again, he wasn't supposed to be in alone. 

_ “What...the  _ **_hell_ ** _ were you thinking?” _ Tony snapped, yelling at the boy, his anger evident in his tone. Never had Peter made him this mad before. 

“I-I was just-” Peter stuttered, looking between his dad and the fallen box. 

“Just  **what** Peter?” Tony interrupted, walking forward to lean down over the kid, “You  _ know  _ you’re not supposed to be in here. God, what if this box had something dangerous, or if it fell on top of you? Peter, you could have been hurt!”

The boy flinched, but Tony continued, “This is why I set down these rules! It’s too dangerous for you to be here alone, and you know that! You know that and you still disobeyed me!”

His anger got the better of him, not registering the way his son shrank, “God just...Get out of here Peter.”

Peter’s eyes welled up, the boy biting his lip to stop himself from crying, which is when it hit Tony how badly he fucked up. 

Before he could say anything however, Peter bolted past him and Steve, running up the stairs. 

“Peter!” Tony called out, but it was too late, the kid was gone. Tony cursed, his adrenaline making him pace around the room, running a hand through his hair. 

“Ah, shit, fucking fuck.” he muttered, trying to cool down. A sound distracted him and he saw Rogers come forward and started to pack the fallen tools back into the box. 

“Hey,” Tony said, “You don't have to do that, it’s fine, one of the robots will clean it up.” 

Roger’s ignored him and continued to do so anyway. Tony sighed, boy was he stubborn. Tony watched for a second before he went forward and started to help. He wasn't comfortable with a guest coming in and cleaning up a mess he made. 

Few minutes passed by, and they were done. Steve picked up the box, his impressive muscles bulging before he placed it back on the table. 

“See?” he said, patting it, “No harm done.”

Tony sighed, grateful. He didn't realize it, but packing up the tools in silence was enough for him to calm down and think, “Sorry you had to see that.”

“Don’t apologies to me,” Rogers said, “Apologize to your son.”

“Right.” Tony said, running a hand through his hair again, “Fuck I really messed up, i shouldn't have yelled at him.” Especially with what the kid’s been through, last thing Peter needs was another parent yelling at him, “Just that...man he’s been really clingy and i don't know how to deal with it.”

A pause before Roger’s spoke up: “He’s scared, Stark.”

Tony looked up at the man, “What?”

“Come on,” Rogers said, almost mockingly, “He’s a young boy who’s father just came back from God-knows-where, a father who hasn't spent any time with him.” Tony was about to protest before Steve raised a hand to stop him as he continued “Not saying it’s your fault. I’m just saying that things would be easier for him if you talked about what happened to you.”

“He’s a kid.” Tony protested.

“I’m not saying give him the gritty details, but you do need to talk to him about what happened. Kids who don't have answers tend to make up their own, an they’re often a lot worse than reality. I bet no one’s told him anything and he’s worried about you.” a pause, “Kids can handle a lot, and aren't as fragile as you think they are. Just talk to him.”

Tony thought about it, and it did make sense. Perhaps Peter’s clinginess and breaking of rules was a cry for attention, to get his father to talk to him. He did recall that a lot of their conversation revolved around Peter asking about his situation before Tony steered the topic away. Tony not answering any of his questions...also meant that he didn't give a satisfactory enough conformation that they were safe. Kid must be scared out of his mind. 

“Fuck,” Tony cursed, “Yes, yes of course, i’ll go talk to him now. Thank you.”

Steve nodded, “I’ll see myself out.”

“Right. Yes. Thanks again.”

Tony really was grateful. He wondered how the night would have gone if Steve Roger’s hadn't shown up today. He made a mental note to properly thank the handsome man again later. 

But for now, he walked past the buff guy and made his way to Peter’s room. 

A knock. Two. Two more.

“Peter.” Tony called out, softly, “I know you’re in there. Can you please open the door?”

Nothing. Tony tried again, “Pete, i’m sorry I yelled at you, that was wrong of me,” another tactic, “I’m not angry anymore Peter, i’m sorry for scaring you. Please open up so I can apologies properly.” Lord knows, these kind hearted words would never come out unless it was directed towards his son. He wanted Peter to feel safe and secure with him, Tony’s pride can go to hell. His parental instincts came first and they had no problem with earnestly apologizing. 

Tiny feet shuffled across the floor softly, before the lock clicked open. Tony grabbed the handle and pushed, softly. Peter was by the door, looking at the ground, eyes red. Tony felt a stab to his heart, berating himself for making his Son cry. 

“Can I come in?” Tony asked and Peter nodded, stepping aside. Tony entered the room, the curtains were not drawn back, casting the place with a dark ambiance. 

Tony walked up to Peter’s bed and sat on it, patting the space next to him, “Come here buddy, we need to talk.” 

Peter, looked up, a bit hesitant, but he came by the bed and crawled up. He still wasn't looking at Tony though. 

“Peter, I’m sorry.” Tony said, kicking off his shoes to sit cross legged on the cushions, “I got way too angry and yelled at you, I shouldn't have done that.” a pause, “But you did break a rule buddy. What made you think to go in the lab alone?”

“I don't know…” Peter mumbled, his eyes welling up again, “I was bored and just...alone.”

“Hey, hey,” Tony said soothingly, reaching for his son. He grabbed a hold of Peter lightly, pulling him onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around the small child, trying to soothe him, “It’s okay. I’m not mad anymore. Just, promise me you won't do it again.”

“I promise.”

“You know those rules are there to keep you safe.”

“I know…” and he sounded so sad that Tony didn't stop himself from holding the boy tighter and placing a long kiss to the top of his curls.

They stayed like that for awhile, before Tony asked, “Peter, is there anything you want to ask me?” Peter shook his head, but Tony pressed, “You sure? If there’s anything you want to know, ask me, and i’ll be completely honest.”

“Really?” Peter asked, attention back. Tony nodded. Peter pondered for a second, before he asked, “Are you ok?”

“For the most part.” Tony said, honestly, “There’s still a lot of work to do and I might need to see a therapist.”

“What’s a therapist?”

“A therapist is a doctor who helps you takes care of emotional pain.” Peter still looked a bit confused, “Remember that time you and i talked about your mother? And after that your nightmares stopped? Well, it’s like that but with trained doctors.”

“Oh…” Peter said, “...are you in a lot of emotional pain?”

Tony paused, “Yes Peter, I am.”

“Why? What happened to you?”

Sugarcoat but not too much, “Well, I went through a lot Pete, and it hurt. I met bad people who did bad things. But, they’re in jail now and i’m safe.”

“Did they do bad things to you?”

“A little bit, but your dad’s pretty strong. By the end of it, I defeated them.”

“You did?” Peter asked, suddenly excited, his eyes lighting up.

“Yup!” Tony exclaimed, the excitement contagious, “I made a-” bombs was way too explicit for Peter. God, Tony cant tell him that he had...killed them all. Wow. Tony definitely needed therapy, “A superhero suit!” he finished, before he could process what he was saying.

“A SUIT!?” Peter said, now really excited, “What was it like?”

“It-uh-it.” Tony stammered, “It was big! And silver! I made it so that I fit inside it, and it was like an armour! It helped me walk through the bad guys and kick their butts!”

“Awesome!” Peter yelled, throwing his hands in the air, “What did you call it?”

“Um...Iron man!” 

“Iron man!” Peter repeated, only louder, he shot up, taking Tony’s face in his small hands and squishing his cheeks with excitement “What did it look like? I want to draw it.”

“Well, it was silver. Like a knights armor.”

Peter frowned, letting go of his father’s face, “That’s boring.”

“Well i’m sorry, but they wouldn't bring me paints even after I asked nicely.”

Peter giggled, “You should make it gold! It will be all flashy and cool!”

“Just a single color? Isn't that a bit dull? Maybe add another one-”

“Red! A Red and Gold Iron man suit!” 

Tony grinned, ruffling the kids hair, “Think you can design it for me?” and Peter nodded, very enthusiastic. He lied down across Tony’s lap, his body small enough that it was perfectly cushioned by the man’s crossed legs. 

“The bad guys are in jail?” Peter asked, his energy dying down.

“Yup. I made sure of it.”

“And they’re not coming back?”

“Never.”

“They won’t hurt you anymore?”

“Nope.”

Peter sighed, closing his eyes with a smile, “Okay.”

“Anything else?”

“Yeah. What happened to Jarvis?”

“Oh, don’t worry about him.” Tony said, “I switched him off before I left, so i decided to try out some new upgrades before he turns back on. He should be back by tomorrow.”

“Oh, that’s good.” Peter said, visibly sighing in relief, “I thought something bad must have happened.”

Steve’s words echoed back to him, about how children imagine much worse scenarios when they don't know what happened. “Don’t worry too much, okay?” Tony said, ruffling Peter’s hair, “Leave all that to the adults.”

Peter smiled and nodded his head. 

“Feeling better?” Tony asked. 

“Yup. Much better.”

~~~~~


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Endgame was a fucking masterpiece and I will fight you on that.   
> I wont mention any spoilers, but wow. As heartbroken as I was by everything, it still was a wonderful way to wrap up the MCU.   
> If anyone was wondering, yes, i will still be continuing this story so long as I have the motivation to keep writing it.

Tony stared at the box in front of him, not moving. Agent Coulson dropped of a box of stuff that was the last few personal belongings that Mary Parker had before she died. Turns out someone bought the house she lived in (despite the depressing history) and when it was being cleaned out, this box was found tucked back in one of her closets. The box landed with the police years ago, but it was forgotten. Only when they were cleaning out the evidence locker, did they find it. 

Coulson dropped it off an hour ago. Tony had placed it on the dining table and stared at it since. 

He hadn't thought about Mary in a long, long time. It had been years since he got Peter, and since then, he’d been too busy to think about the woman who made half of who his Son was. 

Finally, he stopped moping, puffed his chest and finally ruffled through the box. 

It was weird, really weird, to look through the personal items of a dead lover, items that was clearly special enough for her to try and hide it in her closet. 

First thing he saw was a photo-book. It looked old and drab, the cover of it a dirty pink, some parts of it flaked off. He opened it, cringing at the sound of the cheap plastic unraveling as he took a quick peek at the contents. Pictures of Mary and her family as children, few of her and May as they grew up together, (but after a certain point, perhaps when they looked like early teenagers, the pictured of May stopped), her in college, her graduating with multiple degrees. Then he saw a picture of the two of them. It was a picture cut out from a magazine. Tony didn't remember it, but it seemed to be a coverage of Stark Industries. The picture was a cutout of Tony, dressed in a fancy suit with Mary standing beside him. It wasn't cut perfectly, so Tony could see other peoples shoulders besides their own, making him think it was a group photo, the only one with the two of them. And it was the last picture in the book as well. 

He set it down and looked through the boxes some more. There was a lot of stuff he did not understand. There was a stuffed toy, a music box that was too old to play anything, a small book with the number and names of immediate family and friends (It was only two pages long. Tony’s name was there, but scratched out viciously) and a bunch of other junk. He figured handing this over to May Parker was a better choice. 

The last thing he found in it however, was a VCR tape, with a label on it that said : My silence, my Life.

Tony raised an eyebrow, intrigued. 

“Jarvis?” he talked out loud, “Do you know where the VCR player is?”

“Yes Sir. It’s in one of the closets in the basement.”

“Thanks J” 

Ten minutes later, Tony was in his bedroom, the player plugged to his TV and he inserted the tape into it. 

He laid back on the plush cushions, waiting for whatever was playing to start. 

The screen came to life and he was met with the familiar face of...May.

“Hi, so.” she talked, a massive grin on her face. She was in a room, the walls a light pinkish-white and she looked like she hadn't slept in awhile, “Today, is July 7th, 3AM in the morning, and we officially, have a new member of the family.” she turned the camera around and Tony’s breath got caught in his throat.    
The camera was pointed to a hospital crib and inside it, was the smallest, most fragile looking baby he had ever seen, swathed in blue blankets, a tiny blue beanie on his head. The baby was fast asleep, and Tony marveled at how incredibly tiny he was. Everything about him was small and Tony cooed, silently. 

Another voice, a woman's voice, spoke up, a playful tone, “Not surprised, just like me, fashionably late.” Tony recognized that voice, it was Mary. The camera panned to the hospital bed right beside the crib and there she was, looking exhausted, her brown hair matted to her face, but there was a bright spark behind her eyes as she gazed with adoration at the baby in the crib, at Peter.   
May giggled, before she turned the camera back to the baby, “Look at him…” she cooed. She continued, voice a much higher pitch, “Hi Petey Pie! It’s your Aunt May.”  
Immediately Peter started to respond, his tiny body started wiggling under the cocoon of blankets, his mouth open in a tiny grunt. Slowly, he blinked open his eyes and stared at the camera. His eyes were just like Tony’s, a beautiful brown, wide with wonder.   
Mary leaned over her bed to look into the crib, and once his eyes landed on her, Peter lit up and he gave her a huge, toothless grin.   
May gasped, “Oh! He smiled! And I got it on tape.” but her sister couldn't care less about that. With a brilliant smile of her own, she reached into the crib to pick up her Son and cradle him towards her, holding him firmly, yet lovingly. 

“He’s perfect.” she said, with a sniffle, her eyes watering. 

May seemed to sense that it was a private, intimate moment, so she put the camera down. The screen faded to black before it started playing again, a different scene entirely. 

                         The camera was placed on the floor, and a small distance away, was Peter. He was wearing nothing but a diaper, his hair growing a bit and you could see the tell tale signs of brown curls. Once he spotted the camera, he grinned before he started crawling towards it, his movement heavy and unbalanced, but he finally reached it. “Good job, buddy!” Mary exclaimed from behind the camera before it turned to black and started again.

                         It was May this time, and she seemed to be propping the camera on a small table. She was sitting on a sofa, a smile on her face. Suddenly, out of the blue, a head popped up from underneath the table, the figure so small that only its eyes were visible. Peter looked at the camera, before a chubby hand reached out to grab it, and then immediately drag it forward to put the lens in his mouth. Tony laughed, cringing a bit as he watched Peter lick the screen. He heard May laugh in the background too, a second later, pulling the camera away from the kid. “No, Peter.” she chastised, playfully, “No eating Auntie’s camera.”

Fades to black again. Next scene 

                      “Here you go.” Mary said, handing over a lemon slice to baby Peter, who was sitting on a baby chair. His tiny hands grabbed it before he put it in his mouth. It took a second, but Peter immediately cringed in disgust. His nose wrinkled and he stuck his tongue out. Mary and May started to laugh, and seeing that (and obviously enjoying the attention) he laughed too before he put the lemon back in his mouth, cringing even harder. The women’s laughter increased, which made Peter even happier. He was about to put the lemon back in his mouth a third time before Mary stopped him, wheezing. 

                    Next was a small video of Peter in the bath. The tub was filled up to his chest and Mary had a strong hold on him while she bathed him. She let go of him for a second to lather her hands up with more soap when Peter started to rock himself and toppled backwards into the water (Tony swore he felt his heart stop). Both the women lurched forward, Mary pulling him upright in a second. “Peter!” she scolded, but the baby was un-bothered, laughing like it was a fun experience. Mary shot the camera an exasperated look, before sighing loudly. 

                    The next video was May again. She was lying on her stomach, propped up by her elbows, Peter below her. Both of their faces were flushed, and it was obvious why when May slowly leaned down and blew a loud raspberry on Peter’s stomach. He squealed loudly, kicking his tubby little feet before she pulled away. They stared at each other for a second, before May leaned down again, ever so slowly, and blew another raspberry, making Peter hysterically laugh. 

               “Mama. Say Mama” the next clip started, Mary holding Peter securely in her arms, the baby perched on her hip. He looked up at her, his eyes wide.  
“Come on baby, say Mama!”   
Peter frowned before he reached a hand up to place it over Mary’s mouth.   
“No.” he said, before he let go, burying his face into her neck.   
The sister’s stared at each other before they burst out laughing, Mary hugging Peter close. 

            The next clip started, with May propping the camera on the floor and moving back, to show that she and her sister were sitting down, their legs outstretched, feet pressed together, with Peter between them. Mary picked Peter up and made him stand, a bit unsteady.   
“Ready Peter?” she asked, before giving him a small push, hands still secure, “Go to Aunt May.”   
May reached her hands out, beckoning for her nephew to walk to her, “Come on buddy!”  
Peter gurgled, taking a step with difficulty, before he got the hang of it. Mary let go, and Peter walked forward, taking three strong steps before he stumbled,  into May’s hands. Both of them cheered loudly, May tossing him up in the air with celebration.

                  It was Peter’s first birthday. Ben walked out of the kitchen and into the dining room, a cake in hand, where the Parkers started to sing happy birthday. May was recording, and she filmed Peter, a birthday hat strapped over his chubby face as he gurgled in excitement, thumping the table in happiness over the cake. The lights were dimmed, so you could see the fire on the singular candle illuminate Peter’s eyes when the cake was set in front of him. Mary held him back from clawing towards it, while they continued to sing.    
“Happy birthday to you! Blow out the candle Pete!”  
Peter looked at his mother, clearly confused, “Whath?” he asked, in an adorable voice. Mary smiled and blew a small gust of air onto his face. He scrunched up, but seemed to understand what she meant, cause he stood up on his chair, leaned over the cake, and blew out the candle. The adults cheered and Peter clapped his hands too, a giant dopey grin on his face. 

The video ended with Mary hugging him tightly, placing loving kisses on his head. 

“I love you Peter.” she said, “You’re the best thing that happened to me.”

“Wuv you.” 

And the tape was over. 

 

Tony sat in the silence. It took him a second to realize he was crying. 

Grunting, he quickly wiped away the tears, sniffling. He didn't think he would be affected by this so much. 

His feelings towards his past lover were a jumbled mess. He never loved her, but he wondered if she had told him about the pregnancy, if he would have been the one holding the camera, and not her sister. 

He missed it. He missed it all. His missed the birth of his son, his first word, his first steps, his first birthday, everything. He wasn't there. Mary made that decision for him, that he should not be there. 

God, Tony hated it. He hated that so much.

But he couldn't bring himself to hate her. He knew what she became, sure. An abusive mother who tormented her son, who, once upon a time, was a great mother. It didn't excuse her actions, and Tony was still glad she wasn't around anymore, but it did soften his distaste towards the woman. 

Cause at the end of the day, sure, Tony did miss a lot of things, but he had a life with his Son that was way better. He got to watch Peter grow into a wonderful, perfect young man. He was there for his first day of middle school, his first broken bone, his first crush, his first heartbreak, his first day of high school, his first award, his first...everything else. So sure, Tony missed his baby stage, but he got to live through everything else. 

And you know what? He was ok with that.

“Dad?” A voice called out from the living room. Speak of the Devil. 

Tony wiped his eyes again and got up, groaning at the pain of his back as he straightened up. Old age was a bitch. But he wasn't too old yet. 

He exited the room, and walked towards the dining room. 

Peter was lounging on the couch, the posture every seventeen year old seemed to have, as he fiddled on his phone. 

“Hey Pete.” Tony announced, sitting beside him, “How was school?”

“Meh.” Peter shrugged, attention still on the phone, “Kind of boring. The only exciting thing that happened was the math teacher tripping on his shoe laces.” 

Tony chuckled, “Well, just a little while longer and we can put you somewhere that wont bore your brain.”

“Speaking of bored brains,” Peter said, pocketing his phone as he looked up at his father, a twinkle in his eyes, “Can I work with you in the lab today?”

Tony raised an eyebrow, “I told you you’re grounded from the lab for another week. I don't want to grow back my eyebrows a second time.”

“Oh come on!” Peter groaned, in the whiney attitude teenagers seemed to have, grasping Tony's forearm, “They grew back right! And it was just a minor accident. Please please please, I’ll be super careful this time.” he clasped his hands together, giving Tony the most angelic look ever.

Tony sighed, knowing he can't deny his son anything when he gives him the puppy dog face. 

“Fine…” he relented, “But if you mess up again i'm throwing you to the streets.” 

“Sure you will.” Peter replied, with a grin.

Tony rolled his eyes and made a move to get off the couch, but was stopped by Peter. His Sons hand was still on his arm and he pulled back gently, looking a bit concerned. 

“You ok?” he asked, eyebrows furrowed.

Tony raised his own, “Yeah. Why?”

“You just look a bit…” Peter gestured to his own face, and Tony knew what he meant. His eyes must still be bloodshot. 

“Oh that, no I was just watching a sad movie.”

“Says the man who didn't cry for Bambi or Marley and Me.” Peter retorted, “What’s going on Dad?”

“Nothing, Peter, I just…” he placed his own hand on Peter hair, running it through his curls, “I just found the perfect gift for your eighteenth birthday and I got a bit emotional, is all.”

“Oh.”

“Mmhmm. Maybe one day you’ll understand, but I… Guess I want you to be my baby forever.”

Peter blushed at that, embarrassed. He shrugged his shoulders and tried to make himself smaller, “God, Dad, you’re so embarrassing.”

Tony laughed at that, leaning over to place a kiss on Peter’s forehead, “That’s my job, right?”

~~~~~


End file.
